Ishrat case: CBI seeks legal opinion on tapped conversations

Ahmedabad: The CBI is taking legal opinion on the tapped phone conversations of ministers and high-ranking officials in which they were purportedly discussed ways to save the police officials booked in Ishrat fake encounter killing case.

CBI sources said although the three Gujarat ministers, who were questioned by the agency in connection with the alleged meeting, have admitted taking part in the meeting but the agency cannot take their statements on face value.

The sources said it is seeking legal opinion whether their statements can be the basis of proceeding with a charge sheet against them or further material evidence was needed.

They said the agency is also probing whether the ministers took steps to shield the police officials or discussions recorded by one of the accused were just off-the-table conversations.

The CBI had recently questioned former Gujarat minister of Law Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Minister of State for Law Pradeepsinh Jadeja and former minister of State for Home Praful Patel who had allegedly attended the purported meeting.

Suspended IPS officer GL Singhal, who was among the nine persons who attended the meeting, had submitted two pen drives to investigators containing the recorded conversations of the meeting.

Singhal is now out on bail as the agency failed to file the chargesheet against him in the stipulated 90 days.

The nine people who were allegedly present in the meeting held in the private chamber of Advocate General Kamal Trivedi were Singhal, Singhal`s lawyer friend Rohit Verma, GC Murmu, AK Sharma, then MoS (home) Praful Patel, Jadeja, Chudasama and another accused in the Ishrat case, Tarun Barot.